FOOD SAFETYBy

Lily Ou

Emily Hu

Theodore Lin

FOODBORNE ILLNESS

What? A disease caused by ingesting unsafe food.

Also known as “food poisoning”.

Infectious Agents: also known as pathogens: bacteria, viruses,

molds, fungi, parasites etc.

Noninfectious agents: nonbacterial toxins, chemical

residues, pesticides, antibiotics, physical hazards etc.

Not all microbes make you sick or are harmful.

Serotypes: a specific strain of a larger class of

organism.

Process of getting sick:

Incubation period: the time between when

infection occurs and signs and symptoms begin.

TOXINS MADE BEFORE INGESTION

Performed Toxins: poisonous substances produced by microbes while they are in

food (prior to ingestion).

Staphlococcus Aureus

- occurs in undercooked meat and

unpasteurized dairy products.

-Symptoms: nausea and

vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal

cramps after 1-6 of food

consumption.

- Heat stable so it isn’t easily

killed through cooking.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus:

- Resistant to most antibiotics.

- Transmitted through sharing towels and

equipment in athletic and school facilities.

- Prevention: proper hand washing.

Clostridium Botulinum

- Found in inadequately

processed, low-acid, home-

canned foods (eg. Green beans),

and canned commercial foods

- Can be destroyed at high

temperatures

- Causes botulism: vomiting and

diarrhea, double or blurred

vision, drooping eyelids, slurred

speech, difficulty swallowing, dry

mouth, muscle weakness.

Sometimes paralysis, respiratory

failure and death.

Aspergillus

- Molds that grow on foods.

- Eg. Aflatoxin: found on agricultural

crops like peanuts. If it is not dried

properly, it can grow and produce

toxic levels of aflatoxin.

- Fatal

- Causes liver damage and cancer.

TOXINS MADE AFTER INGESTION

Enteric or Intestinal toxins: toxins produced by an

organism after it enters the GI tract.

Noroviruses: an infectious pathogen.

Enterotoxigenic: produces

enteric toxins and can

severely upset the GI tract.

Symptons: 6-48 hours, diarrhea, cramps,

nausea.

Foods: uncooked vegetables, fuits, raw

meats and seafoods, unpasteurized

dairy, untreated tap water.

ORGANISMS THAT INVADE INTESTINAL CELLS

Enterohemorrhagic: pathogens that cause bloody diarrhea

Salmonella:

- Found in raw poultry, beef, dirty fruit, alfalfa sprouts.

- Incubation period: 1-3 days

- Severe GI upset and headaches

E. Coli 0157:H7:

- Found in unpasteurized milk, apple juice, apple

cider, improperly prepared meat.

- Incubation period: 1-8 days

- Nausea, cramps, severe diarrhea.

PARASITES: PROTOZOA AND WORMS

Parasites: complex one-celled or multicellular organisms

that rely on other organisms to survive and are dangerous.

Worms: also form cysts; can travel through blood and

go into many locations like the muscles, eyes, and the

brain.

Eg. Anisakis Simples: roundworm

- Violent abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting.

- Found in raw fish (sushi and sashimi)

- Freezing can kill it.

Protozoa: one-celled organism which can live inside the

intestinal tracts of both animals and humans.

Form cysts that are excreted in the feces, you can get

them if you consume foods with the cysts

- eg. Giardia intestinalis: found in untreated swimming

pools and hot tubs. (this is why there is chlorine in pools)

PRIONS

A misshapen protein that causes other proteins to also

become distorted which damages nervous tissue. They’re

hard to destroy and can be transmitted.

Mad Cow Disease:

- Also known as Bovine

Spongiform

Encephalitis.

- Symptoms: loss of

motor control,

confusion, paralysis,

wasting, and death.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: fatal disease in

humans caused by genetic mutation or surgical

contamination (with prions).

Policy: World Health Organization (WHO) recommends

that all governments prohibit the feeding of highly

innervated tissue (brain and spinal cord) from animals.

HOW CAN NONINFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES CAUSE FOODBORNE ILLNESS?

• Nonliving compounds that can still make you sick

• Physical Contaminants (glass and plastic), Toxins, heavy metals, and pesticides

ALGAE TOXINS

• Shellfish Poisoning: a group of foodborne illnesses caused by consuming shellfish that contain marine toxins

Due to the fact that these marine animals consume large amounts of algae that sometimes produce marine toxins

Marine Toxins: a poison produced by ocean algae

• Neurologic symptoms – tingling, burning, numbness, drowsiness, and difficulty breathing

• Hot-Cold Inversion – cold is perceived as hot and hot is perceived as cold

RED TIDE

• Phenomenon in which certain ocean algae grow profusely, causing reddish discoloration of the water

• During this period of rapid growth, algae produces brevetoxins

Brevetoxin – toxin produced by red tide, causing algae, which, when consumed, cause shellfish poisoning

PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES, ANTIBIOTICS, AND HORMONES

• Many federal and international agencies work together to assure that food is free of any kind of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones that may pose a threat to the consumer and the environment• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• FDA

• U.S. Department of Agriculture

EXAMPLES OF DANGEROUS PESTICIDE AND HORMONE

1. Pesticide

• Dicholoro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) – pesticide once used to kill mosquitoes and increase crop yields a damage to wildlife banned in 1972

2. Hormone

• Bovine Somatotropin (bST) – protein hormone produced by cattle and used in the dairy industry to enhance milk production

• It is generally safe for both cow and the consumer, however there are no laws requiring milk produced by cows treated with bST to be labeled skeptical of its safety

FOOD ALLERGIES

• Because the percentage of individuals who have an adverse reaction to these compounds is small, the compounds are not prohibited.

• EX: Some people are particularly sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used as a flavor enhancer.

•Sulfites – a naturally occurring compound, in some foods, that can be used as a food additive to prevent discoloration and bacterial growth

•Used in wine and dried fruits

•Causes breathing difficulties in sulfite-sensitive people

•FDA: labelling all foods containing at least 10 part per million sulfites

NEW FOOD SAFETY CONCERNS

1. Acrylamide

- A compound that is formed in starchy foods when heated to high temperatures

- Used to make polyacrylamide found in some food packaging materials

- High levels of it cause cancer in laboratory animals

2. Melamine

- A nitrogen-containing chemical used to make lightweight plastic objects

- Melamine is rich in nitrogen Chinese gluten manufacturers added it to their products to make them appear higher in protein than they actually are

- Low risk to human health if people consume meat and milk from animals fed melamine-tainted feed HOWEVER proven incorrect in 2008 when melamine-contaminated milk entered Chinese markets

NEW FOOD SAFETY CONCERNS

1. Lead and Bisphenol A

- Consuming is dangerous denatures proteins and can lead to serious neurological complications

- Children playing with toys with lead-containing paints eating it through physical contact with food

- Bisphenol A (BPA) – a chemical used in the production of many plastic items including baby bottles

- BPA may influence long-term risk for cancer and reproductive abnormalities in la animals

- Choosing glass or metal containers over polycarbonate ones, not put plastics in the microwave, and wash plastic containers by hand instead of in the dishwasher

HOW DO FOOD MANUFACTURERS PREVENT CONTAMINATION?

- Cross-Contamination – transfer of microorganisms from one food to another or from one surface or utensil to another

CAREFUL FOOD-HANDLING TECHNIQUES

- Pathogens can be easily transmitted to almost any food by an infected person

- Food handlers avoid contaminating the food by coughing or sneezing on foods

- Fecal contamination of foods (because pathogens can pass through GI tract and be excreted in the feces)

- People who process and prepare food are generally required to wear gloves and thoroughly wash their hands

PROPER FOOD PRODUCTION, PRESERVATION, AND PACKAGING

- Goal: produce a product that is as pathogen-free as possible and then to store it in a way that does not allow pathogenic growth

- Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) System –USDA food safety protocol used to decrease contamination of foods during processing

- Identify the critical points in food-processing where contamination is most likely

- USDA: requires meat and poultry be inspected before sale, guidelines for safe handling appear on packages

PRESERVING FOOD

1. Drying, salting, and smoking, when done correctly, inhibit bacterial growth preserving meat

2. Fermentation: metabolism, by bacteria, that occurs under relatively anaerobic conditionsa. Adding selected microorganisms to food

b. Used in making sauerkraut, yogurt, pickles, and wine

c. Promotes growth of nonpathogenic organisms minimize the growth of pathogenic organisms

3. Heat Treatment – cooking, canning, and pasteurizationa. Danger zone – temperature range between 40 and 140F in which pathogenic organisms grow most readily

b. Packaged or Canned food – heated in high temperatures killed pathogens vacuum is created air-free environment helps preserve the food because organisms require oxygen to grow

c. Pasteurization – a food preservation process that subjects foods to heat to kill bacteria, yeasts, and molds; widely used in milk, juice, spices, ice cream, and cheese

PRESERVING FOOD

1. Cold Treatment: Cooling and Freezinga. To slow or halt the growth of microorganisms, always refrigerate foods at 40F or freeze them soon after they are

prepared prevent foods from staying in danger zone for a long time

2. Irradiationa. Food preservation process that applies radiant energy to foods to kill bacteria

b. Cold pasteurization

c. Used for space travel

d. Irradiation neither damages nutrients nor makes the food radioactive

e. Makes food safer to eat and dramatically increase shelf life

3. Edible Filmsa. Product made from natural edible substances intended for wrapping and protecting food

b. Eco-friendlyfilms protect foods from drying out and also inhibit bacterial growth and increase shelf life

WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO REDUCE FOODBORNE ILLNESS?

Consumer Advisory BulletinsToll free numbers + USDA, FDA sites to find out important food safety information!

Eg: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/problems_with_food_products/index.asp

www.foodsafety.gov

FIGHTBAC! CAMPAIGN

Set of food safety guidelines developed by USDA + Partnership for Food Safety Education

1. Clean Hands, Surface, and Cooking Utensils

2. Wash fruits and vegetables.

3. Separate foods to prevent cross-contamination.

4. Cook foods to proper temperature.

5. Keep food cold, chill them, and when in doubt, throw out.

WHAT ABOUT AVOIDING FOODBORNE ILLNESS WHILE TRAVELING OR CAMPING?

Water + fresh produce pose greatest risks outdoors

When travelling to foreign countries, be careful what you eat, or you may get diarrhea

In case of diarrhea, recover electrolytes + fluids

1. Drink only purified water

2. Avoid or carefully wash fresh fruit/vegetables

3. Avoid eating cow in places with Creutzfelt-Jakob Disease

WHAT ARE SOME EMERGING ISSUES OF FOOD BIOSECURITY?

Food biosecurity – prevention of terrorist attacks on the food supply

Bioterrorism Act of 2002

Clostridium botulinum could be used by terrorists

Origin of all foods clearly labeled